When trying to prevent lower extremity amputation, it is critical that wound clinicians restore blood flow in a quick and aggressive fashion. This author offers a historic perspective of advances in endovascular technologies and how they can save limbs. The title of this article, “The Impact of Restoring Flow in Order to Preserve Limbs,” cannot be emphasized enough as restoring…

You may not have previously heard the term “biofilm”, but you’ve been familiar with it your entire life.  Before discussing why battling biofilm is important in our lives, a general understanding of what it is will help emphasize the urgency in managing it especially when it comes to healing chronic wounds. A few everyday examples of biofilm that you are…

When an injury to the skin occurs, the process of healing begins.  A cascade of physiological events commences, which often includes bleeding or drainage.  The concept is that the moisture at the wound site is an indicator that an increase in the delivery of oxygen, nutrients, growth factors and the ability to fight infection, is occurring. Optimal wound healing is…

The mortality rates surrounding diabetic neuropathic foot ulcers, PAD and amputation are often compared to multiple forms of cancer, in part, to emphasize the gravity of the situation facing many diabetics.  While the diabetic population in the United States has reached an estimated 30 million, the CDC has estimated that the number of those afflicted with pre-diabetes adds an additional…

When an injury where a break in the skin occurs and a fresh wound is the result, certain physiological steps typically occur that move the wound to complete healing. Wounds are certainly not pleasant to look at, especially when the viewing person is squeamish.  That being stated, visualizing a wound is an ongoing and important part of managing the process…

Understanding the “whys” of any problem can go a long way to better managing or solving it. We often hear of the importance of advice from medical and non-medical experts when it comes to nutrition, especially when it comes to “eating healthy” and “staying hydrated”.  All well and good, but what exactly is eating healthy, or at least, how does…

Calluses are one of nature’s ways of protecting our bodies, especially when occurring on the hands and feet.  So how can something that is inherently protective, represent impending danger?   Simply stated, calluses are a build-up of skin, typically over a bony prominence where repetitive, minor trauma has occurred over time.   Athletes, manual laborers, guitar players, dancers, or anyone who uses…

Non-healing foot ulcers have a 5-year mortality rate of approximately 48%.  This means that someone with a foot ulcer that does not heal in a timely fashion, has a roughly 50% chance of being dead within 5 years.   PAD (peripheral arterial disease) has a 64% rate.  In comparison, breast cancer and Hodgkins lymphoma have approximately 12% mortality rates, prostate cancer…

Sometimes the simplest things in life create tremendous pleasure.   Time spent with loved ones, a day at the beach or a hike along a beautiful mountain trail.  A slice of pizza, a warm bath or at the least, a relaxing foot bath.   The benefits of therapeutic foot bath can be as much physiological as psychological, and well being is the…

If you are one of the approximately 30 million people in the United States with diabetes, then hopefully you are aware of the term “diabetic foot ulcer”.   Why do diabetics often develop ulcers, which are non-healing wounds on their feet?  Once present, will these wounds result in amputation? First, some staggering statistics that reveal how vast this problem is, and…